Social media took off in response to a LEGO replica of Bo Kaap that’s been perched in a window display at Canal Walk mall. Admittedly, my obsession with all things rainbow had my eyes on fire at first glance. I found the mock-up rather beautiful. Perhaps my whiteness is what left my interpretation unscathed by accusations which have surfaced around racial exclusion, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Robyn Simpson.
“I did a double take because all the residents were white (well LEGO yellow) with blonde hair. The audacity of it all! Not even a brown Boeta with a fez or a Tietie with a doekie,” says Gasant Abarder.
After reading Abarder’s Slice, I was quickly cultured (and reminded of the fact that Bo Kaap is by no means linked to my upbringing or heritage). It is just another gorgeously scenic spot in the Mother City that I continuously marvel at as a re-located Durbanite. My eyes do not search for brown Boetas with a fez or Tieties with a doekie.
Side note, this realisation made me feel pitifully culture-less as a white South African. What do I search for? Karen with a Lou Harvey beach bag and Woolies sparkling water?
Still, there’s a part of me that feels equally sad and frustrated that the only thing that’s come from an attempt to be representative is yet another racial backlash. Sometimes I feel like I might be called a racist for ordering a vanilla milkshake.
The artist behind the Bo Kaap LEGO creation feels ‘disappointed’.
“I can assure you every effort has been made into researching the area and be as inclusive, representative and expressive as possible with LEGO. The model is intended to inspire and uplift the community and celebrate the rich and vibrant history of the Bo Kaap.
“The exteriors have been modelled as accurately as possible based on the actual buildings they represent. At the same time, the interiors were interpreted based on an artist’s impression, as I did not have access to any of the interiors while building the model.
“As for race[ial] representation, LEGO has used yellow as the colour to represent all races – and all minifigs follow this convention.
“LEGO is such an incredible toy spanning across the world, including all people from all walks of life and race, I hate to see that a few people’s opinion ends up destroying an incredible legacy of acceptance and inclusivity,” says artist Peter Furstenberg.
I hear Furstenberg. And I hear Abarder. The sentiment behind the creation has opened a complex channel of debate – one which certainly cannot be solved by the opinion of a lone white person in a single article. However, I will say this. Perhaps, South Africa, there is a time to appreciate progress and a time to demand better.
The Spirit of the Bo-Kaap model might not represent every Boeta and Tietie, but I feel it’s important to acknowledge the intent behind the effort. 13750 pieces. 110 hours of design time. 40 hours to sort and separate the pieces. 30-35 hours of building. And a respectable amount of time spent on research and acknowledging the history of the Bo Kaap.
This was no mindless throw-together. And that is exactly where progress tilts the scale over perfection for me. Intention is an act I value dearly. For some, that might not be enough. But for a LEGO model in a window display at a store in a mall, I say we have bigger fish to fry.
Read also:
Bo Kaap? Neighbourhood inspired LEGO resurfaces, Twitter reacts
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Pictures: BlockBlaze